Barcelona return to action in La Liga on Thursday night as competition takes one final acceleration before the conclusion of the season.
Having returned to second place with a win over Real Sociedad over the weekend, the Blaugranas can extend their lead over Girona to four points tomorrow as Michel’s side dropped three points to Villarreal last night.
Playing against 20th-placed Almeria on match day 35, moreover, Barcelona are the clear favourite to take home three points.
Speaking to the media ahead of Barcelona’s midweek clash, Xavi spoke at length about his team’s current form, the transfer window that lies ahead and the current financial situation.
He began, however, by commenting on the objective that lay ahead of them at Estadio del Mediterraneo and insisting that Almeria were not as poor as the league standings reflected.
“They deserve more points than they have. They are now free from pressure after the confirmation of their relegation.”
“They will play quietly with nothing to lose with quality players who know how to play well against big teams. They are not in a bad time. The result depends on us,” he added.
He then went on to reveal why tomorrow’s result was so critical for the Catalans.
“Tomorrow’s match is the target of minimums, for prestige and an economic issue.”
On his players
Xavi was first quizzed about Vitor Roque’s situation in the dressing room, the youngster’s lack of minutes and his future at the club.
“There is no debate. He is developing. There are players ahead [on the pecking order] and that’s why he plays less. This has happened all my life.”
Commenting on his decision to field rotations in the team’s last game, the manager said,
“We were fine but there was fatigue. Araujo is still injured and tomorrow we will decide, there will be one per line. Gündogan will be unavailable through suspension.”
“Ronald knows what I think, today I have talked to him, in a sincere way and he knows what I want…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/xavi-talks-roque-araujo-pedri-real-madrid-transfers-ahead-of-almeria-vs-barcelona/
Author : Adithya Eshwarla
Publish date : 2024-05-15 12:05:51
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